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Caries is a pathological process that destroys the bone tissue of a tooth, proceeds rather slowly and can accompany a person for years. From the beginning of the development of caries to complete destruction, several tens of years can pass. Almost every person is familiar with caries - recently this disease is getting younger every day. It is necessary to treat caries in the dentist’s office, home treatment is effective only in some cases, which we will discuss in more detail later. In the meantime, let's try to find out the main reasons for which caries appears.
Why caries occurs
A carious effect on a tooth occurs for more than one reason. This is a complex of various factors, which together lead to an inflammatory process in the tooth. So what are the causes of tooth decay?
- One of the first and main reasons is insufficient or improper oral hygiene. With food and drinks, a huge amount of bacteria, microbes and other microorganisms that corrode tooth enamel fall on a person’s teeth. If you do not clean them off in a timely manner, plaque and tartar develop. And this, in turn, is a permanent negative effect on the bone tissue of the tooth, which sooner or later leads to its destruction.
- If a person has gastroenterological diseases, gastric juice can be regularly thrown into the oral cavity. Since the acid is quite corrosive, it easily corrodes tooth enamel, which subsequently leads to caries. In addition, with gastrointestinal diseases, the composition of saliva also changes, which also affects the state of enamel.
- Chronic diseases of the throat cavity also contribute to the development of caries, as they are the focus of infection. Some types of streptococcus cause tooth decay.
- An unbalanced diet, namely, a lack of fluoride in the diet leads to damage to tooth enamel. After all, fluorine plays a major role in the mineral complex of the natural protection of teeth. Also, a lack of calcium affects the condition of the teeth - they become vulnerable and loose, caries on such teeth develops more rapidly.
- Often the process of tooth decay is enhanced during pregnancy and lactation, when all the calcium from the body is directed to the development of the fetus or the production of milk.
- Frequent use of sugary and sour drinks and foods affects the condition of the teeth. It is proved that people working in pastry shops suffer from tooth decay more often.
- In general, the hereditary factor is of considerable importance in dental health. Genetically, parents pass on the quality of their teeth to their children - bone density, its susceptibility to various diseases, etc.
- Very often, caries occurs in patients who wear braces and do not follow sufficiently thorough oral hygiene.
Depending on the location, caries can be fissure (when the process of decay begins in the natural cavities of the tooth), interdental (when the carious surface is formed from the lateral part of the tooth), or atypical (on the edge of the tooth). The most dangerous type of caries is cervical, since it begins to destroy the tooth right at its base.
Stages of caries development
Like any disease, caries has its own developmental stage. And some of them are quite real cure at home.
- At the first stage of caries development, plaque forms on the tooth surface, which is already difficult to clean with a toothbrush. So begins the leaching of mineral salts from tooth enamel. At this stage, plaques and white spots may appear on the tooth - the first sign of tooth decay.It is such caries that can still be treated at home. However, it still does not hurt, so it is rarely found - only at a preventive appointment with the dentist.
- The second stage of caries development is the formation of a superficial black dot on the tooth. Bacteria corrode tooth enamel, the primary signs appear - a black or brown stain, slight pain when pressing and eating sweet and hot food.
- The third stage of development is characterized by deep damage to the bone tissue. Even a light touch brings severe pain. The sad thing is that only at this stage a person goes to the doctor, in other cases, he prefers to take a tablet of anesthetic.
It is important to understand that if tooth decay has already appeared, it will develop and will not disappear. And the sooner you see a doctor, the cheaper and faster the treatment will be. If untreated, it can lead to serious consequences, such as pulpitis (inflammation of the nerve) or periodontitis (inflammation of the gums). All this steadily leads to tooth loss. But if you consult a doctor earlier, this can be avoided.
Professional caries treatment
Many people do not go to the dentists in a timely manner for two reasons - they are afraid of pain or do not want to spend money on the services of a doctor. It is important to understand that if a black dot appears on the tooth, you will not be able to cope on your own. In addition, modern methods of dental treatment have not brought painful feelings for a long time, except for a slight discomfort. So that you are not afraid to go to the doctor, we will tell you about the phased treatment of caries in the dentist's office.
- First of all, the area of the tooth lesion is assessed and a general treatment tactic is developed. Then the teeth are cleaned of plaque and tartar. Next, the doctor determines the color of the tooth on a special scale, this is done to select the shade of the filling so that it does not subsequently stand out against the general background.
- The start of work is due to anesthesia. Dental procedures are performed under local anesthesia. The only painful moment in tooth treatment is the introduction of an injection with an anesthetic. Further, the area of the oral cavity is frozen. Depending on the amount of the drug administered and the individual characteristics of the body, the effect of anesthesia can last from 45 minutes to several hours.
- Next up is the most important part of the treatment. All tooth decayed areas should be drilled. As a rule, under a small dot on the tooth enamel, extensive carious cavities are found. The fact is that tooth enamel is much stronger than the tooth itself, so only a dot is visible on its surface. But inside - black tissue, which the doctor needs to drill and clean. If you leave even the smallest part of the affected tooth and close it with a seal, such treatment is fraught with repeated inflammation, the development of caries and damage to the crown of the tooth. With pulpitis, the inflamed nerve is also removed.
- Then a clean cavity should be rid of residual saliva and moisture. This is very important, since the wearing time of the seal depends on this stage of treatment. Next, the cleaned cavity is treated with an antiseptic.
- The next step is to apply a seal to a special gasket, which plays the role of a kind of glue. Modern fillings are made of a polymer composite material, which is applied in layers. Each layer is fixed with a special lamp, which makes it harden.
- The final stage is bringing the seal to the desired size. After installation, the seal is polished so that it takes the desired position and does not interfere when the jaw closes. And polishing will give the filling an aesthetic appearance, as well as similarities with healthy tooth enamel.
Thus, you learned that the treatment of caries is an absolutely painless and normal process that the doctor conducts daily. And the sooner you decide to go to the dentist, the cheaper his services will cost you.
How to treat tooth decay at home
It is possible to treat caries at home only if the development of the disease is at the first stage, that is, plaques and white spots are observed on the surface of the tooth. Such caries can be cured at home. Black points and painful areas of the tooth can not be cured at home, except to pull out the tooth completely. In addition, home treatment (if carried out regularly) slows down or stops the process of tooth decay. But then you will have to rinse your teeth regularly with antiseptic compounds day and night. Isn’t it easier to visit a doctor once?
If your caries is at an early stage of development, here are effective remedies that will help you get rid of surface tooth decay.
- It is necessary to observe oral hygiene - brush your teeth twice a day, use floss and toothpicks, rinse your mouth after eating. This reduces the number of bacteria that affect the tooth and slows down the development of caries.
- The pharmacy has special mineralizing gels that contain fluorine and other substances necessary to restore tooth enamel. Apply this gel to your teeth twice a day, and the tooth enamel will cease to deteriorate.
- In addition, you need to use special mouthwashes as often as possible. They contain bactericidal substances that inhibit the development of microbes, as well as fluorine, the lack of which leads to the destruction of tooth enamel.
- You can achieve an antiseptic effect with the help of laundry soap. You need to rub a wet brush on a bar of soap, and then start brushing your teeth with it. Special fatty acids inhibit the development of microbes in the oral cavity and contribute to the restoration of damaged enamel.
- An excellent result of cleansing bacteria can be achieved by rinsing the oral cavity with medicinal herbs - sage, chamomile, calendula. Three tablespoons of the collection you need to pour a liter of boiling water and insist for several hours. Rinse your mouth as often as possible.
- You can stop bacterial infection with a decoction of onion peel. Rinse the onion peel and fill it with a liter jar. Then pour boiling water and leave until the morning closed. When the broth is ready, you should add alcohol to it and rinse the mouth with the resulting composition three times a day.
- Camphor alcohol will help give a temporary analgesic effect. A tablespoon of alcohol should be dissolved in a glass of warm water, rinsing your mouth every hour.
- Garlic will help slow down the process of tooth decay and temporarily anesthetize tooth decay. It should be grated and squeezed through cheesecloth. Soak a cotton swab in garlic juice and attach to a painful tooth. After 10 minutes, the pain will subside.
- Calamus root has a powerful antiseptic effect. Warriors of the Tatar-Mongol yoke used the root to disinfect water in ponds to make it suitable for drinking. Calamus root can simply be chewed - healing juice is released from it, which inhibits the growth of bacteria in the carious cavity. However, the juice is quite bitter, so some people prefer to prepare a decoction from it. A couple of tablespoons of chopped calamus root should be poured with boiling water and the broth should be infused for three hours. Strain and rinse his mouth 3-5 times a day.
These are the main steps you can take to treat early caries at home.
How to treat caries at home
Caries is a serious disease that cannot be treated at home (in the later stages of the disease). Sooner or later, the destructive effect will lead to tooth loss or infection of adjacent teeth. One way or another, you will have to see a doctor. In the struggle for clean and healthy teeth, many patients find home treatments that reach the point of absurdity. Here are some ways in which caries can not be treated in any case.
- The network has many recommendations for the treatment of caries with propolis.This is actually a big mistake. Applying propolis to the carious area, you do not disinfect the surface, but give the microbes nutrition - there are a lot of sugar in propolis. Thus, you only accelerate the process of tooth decay.
- Hydrogen peroxide also does not give the expected effect. With the help of this medicinal composition, you can slightly whiten your teeth, but the destruction process will not stop.
- Some homegrown doctors try to scrape off the black part of the tooth with hard objects - sandpaper, a needle and even a screwdriver. In fact, it is very dangerous and, through negligence, you can damage the mucous membrane or tooth enamel. Even if the carious part can be scraped off, the tooth decay process will not stop, because the cavity will not be cleaned properly and will still remain open. The tooth will continue to decay.
- In no case do not try to rinse the oral cavity with household chemicals - bleach or other chlorine-containing compounds. This is fraught with serious burns of the mucosa. It is also impossible to use vinegar for the treatment of caries - it not only burns the mucous membrane, but also destroys the protective tooth enamel, after such a “treatment” caries affects the tooth much faster.
In addition to these folk remedies, I would like to note that you can not use pain drops and pills for a long time. They are needed to temporarily relieve the pain symptom, in order to reach the trip to the doctor. Do not delay the treatment, otherwise complications may develop.
In the treatment of caries, its prevention is very important. If you observe hygiene and watch your teeth constantly, you can avoid tooth decay. Twice a day, brush your teeth, rinse your mouth after eating with water, eat less sweet, use dental floss. You need to regularly go to a preventive appointment with a dentist to clean off tartar and, if necessary, treat caries at an early stage. Timely measures taken are the basis of healthy and strong teeth!
Video: how to deal with childhood caries
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